WEBVTT WHO ARE ANGRY, FRUSTRATED, AND CONCERNED. >> Reporter: IT WAS A PEACEFUL PROTESTOUTSIDE, AND SOME PROTESTORS WERE EVEN ABLE TO GET INSIDE ANDASK SOME QUESTIONS. >> I'M CONCERNED ABOUT EDUCATION, OUR ENVIRONMENT, HOW WOMEN ARE TREATED. >> REPORTER: SEVERAL HUNDRED PROTESTORS STOOD OUTSIDE THE MARRIOTT HOTEL IN JEFFERSONTOWN,HOPING TO SEND SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL A MESSAGE ABOUT POLICYAND PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. >> I THINK HE'S RAISED THE UGLY HEAD OF RACISM. HE'S MADE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY CAN JUST SAY AND DO ANYTHING THEY WANT TO. >> Reporter: McCONNELL WAS SPEAKING TOTHE JEFFERSONTOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, A TICKETED LUNCHEON THAT SOME PROTESTORS SIGNED UP TO ATTEND. MANY ASKED MCCONNELL ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. >> AND I'M HERE TO TELL YOU AS AWITNESS THAT OBAMACARE, KYNECT, THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD TO MY SMALL BUSINESS. >> I'VE NEVER HEARDTHAT BEFORE AND I KNOW THERE MUST BE SOME PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO HAVE HAD A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE. >> I CAN PUT YOU IN TOUCH WITH ALOT OF PEOPLE WHO FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AS I DO. >> [ APPLAUSE ]>> REPORTER: MCCONNELL SAYS A REPLACEMENT PLAN WILL BE READY IN TWO WEEKS. HE WANTS TO IMPROVE THE "RISK POOLS". THOSE ARE POOLS OF MONEY THAT SUBSIDIZE INSURERS WHO TAKE ON SICK PATIENTS. >> THOSE HAVE TO WORK. THEY CAN WORK IF PROPERLY FUNDEDBY A COMBINATION OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND STATE GOVERNMENT AND BE BASED AT THE STATE LEVE>> REPORTER: CO-PAYS FOR MEDICAID, AS PROPOSED IN INDIANA AND KENTUCKY, COULD BE ON THE TABLE,TOO. >> ALL OF THAT IS IN THE MIX HERE AS WE TRY TO COME UP WITH ABETTER OUTCOME THAN WE CURRENTLYHAVE. >> REPORTER: MCCONNELL SPOKE WITH REPORTERS AFTERWARDS AND ONE REPORTER ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD CONSIDER COMING OUTSIDE AND TALKING TO PROTESTERS. MCCONNELL LAUGHED, AND WITH THAT, HE ENDED THE INTERVIEW. MARK VANDERHOFF, WLKY NEWS.>> SENATOR MCCONNELL WILL BE SPEAKING TO THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TOMORROW IN COVINGTON. PROTESTORS HAVE PLANS TO BE

For the second day in a row, hundreds of protesters greeted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday at a home-state speaking engagement.
One of their biggest concerns was the fate of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and McConnell offered some glimpses of the law's replacement.
McConnell spoke at the Marriott Hotel in Jeffersontown to the Jeffersontown Chamber of Commerce.
The majority of protesters lined the sidewalk off the hotel property, but a few signed up for the luncheon in advance and were able to ask McConnell questions after his remarks.
"Is there a plan to repeal the ACA before there's a replacement?" one audience member asked. "And the reason why I'm concerned about that, I have a 33-year-old son who has a traumatic brain injury, and once he was 26, getting insurance for him was expensive and only catastrophic coverage. Under the ACA, he actually got health care."
McConnell said Republicans' replacement plan could come as early as two weeks from now and would improve the "risk pools" that spread out risk for insurers willing to take on sick patients.
He blasted the ACA for replacing state-run risk pools with federal risk pools he said were less efficient and said he wanted to bring back the state-run pools.
"They have to be subsidized, because the only way you can make the private insurance market work right is to get the higher risk patients out of that and into a special category," he said, adding that he had a daughter who qualified as a high-risk patient.
"Those have to work," he said. "They can work if properly funded by a combination of federal government and state government and be based at the state level."
Governors from across the country are expected to offer their input when they visit Washington next week, he said.
One state idea he likes comes from Indiana, where Vice President Mike Pence, then governor of Indiana, received permission from the federal government to create co-pays for Medicaid patients.
He noted Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has requested the same.
"All of that is in the mix here as we try to come up with a better outcome than we currently have," McConnell said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —

For the second day in a row, hundreds of protesters greeted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday at a home-state speaking engagement.

One of their biggest concerns was the fate of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and McConnell offered some glimpses of the law's replacement.

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McConnell spoke at the Marriott Hotel in Jeffersontown to the Jeffersontown Chamber of Commerce.

The majority of protesters lined the sidewalk off the hotel property, but a few signed up for the luncheon in advance and were able to ask McConnell questions after his remarks.

"Is there a plan to repeal the ACA before there's a replacement?" one audience member asked. "And the reason why I'm concerned about that, I have a 33-year-old son who has a traumatic brain injury, and once he was 26, getting insurance for him was expensive and only catastrophic coverage. Under the ACA, he actually got health care."

McConnell said Republicans' replacement plan could come as early as two weeks from now and would improve the "risk pools" that spread out risk for insurers willing to take on sick patients.

He blasted the ACA for replacing state-run risk pools with federal risk pools he said were less efficient and said he wanted to bring back the state-run pools.

"They have to be subsidized, because the only way you can make the private insurance market work right is to get the higher risk patients out of that and into a special category," he said, adding that he had a daughter who qualified as a high-risk patient.

"Those have to work," he said. "They can work if properly funded by a combination of federal government and state government and be based at the state level."

Governors from across the country are expected to offer their input when they visit Washington next week, he said.

One state idea he likes comes from Indiana, where Vice President Mike Pence, then governor of Indiana, received permission from the federal government to create co-pays for Medicaid patients.

He noted Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has requested the same.

"All of that is in the mix here as we try to come up with a better outcome than we currently have," McConnell said.